


Infidget Week 2020

by NKXanP



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, nothing spicy happens though, some alcohol use in chapter 1, they just laugh at a joke that isn't as funny as they think it is over and over again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26340997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NKXanP/pseuds/NKXanP
Summary: I attempt Infidget Week 2020 while my schedule grows hectic around me.And y'all can follow along for the ride.
Relationships: Avatar | Custom Hero (Sonic Forces)/Infinite (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Kudos: 30





	1. Day 1 - AU/Species Swap

Zero and Gadget were relaxing on their couch. Blissfully unaware of everything outside of their world, they were taking things day by day and not pausing to think about the bigger picture.

All of that would soon change. In just 3, 2, 1... _snap._

Hmm... I wonder if it worked. One way to find out... **_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!_**

Suddenly, Zero and Gadget jumped. Zero was the first to speak. "What the hell was that?"

Oh, it worked. Hey, guys!

Zero jumped up from his sitting position on the couch, pulling a knife out of his extremely fluffy tail. "Who are you? And how did you get in our house?"

I'm not in your house, idiot. Also, I like how your instinct for self-defense is just a knife. What if I had a gun?

Zero frowned. "You've clearly never seen me throw a knife. Even if you aren't in my house, I bet I could still stab you."

We don't even exist on the same plane- ugh. Here, let me show you what I think of your knife threats. _Ahem._ Zero's hand spasmed and he dropped the knife onto the floor below him, where it promptly fell out of existence.

Zero frantically looked around. "Where the hell did my knife go?"

I got rid of it. Even though we aren't on the same plane, I still don't appreciate being threatened.

"Can I at least have the knife back?"

...Fine. The knife suddenly appeared in Gadget's hand, as if it had been there the whole time.

Gadget handed the knife back to Zero before addressing the voice. "What even are you?"

I go by many names, but I think the most appropriate one for me right now is a _narrator_. Basically, I describe everything you do to a _reader_ , who is reading about what's happening. They're even reading the story as we speak.

"Isn't that a gross violation of privacy?"

I'm allowed to pull the curtains at my own discretion. Don't worry, I'm not one of those people who writes weird things about characters going to the bathroom.

Zero grimaced. "...Yuck. Thanks for that mental image."

No problem, buddy; it's all in a day's work. Anyways, I guess I should explain some of the things going on in the outside world at the moment.

"Please don't tell me you're going to make your readers sit through this."

No, I'll pull the curtain. In fact, let me do that right now.

* * *

A few hours later, I finished explaining things to Zero and Gadget.

Gadget tried to wrap his head around one concept in particular. "So let me get this straight: there's a whole another world out there, with its own people."

Mhm.

"And some of those people read stories about our world, written by people _other than_ the ones who normally write about our world?"

Yep.

"And some of _those_ people think Zero and I would make a cute couple?"

Pretty much. Some of them have their own versions of you two, but they do think you two are cute together.

"What do you think?"

I made this world. Look at your boyfriend sitting across from you on the couch and take a wild guess, buddy.

"... _Oh._ "

Yep. Anyways, I've got about 500 words to kill before I hit my thousand word target, so just... chill on the couch. Or don't. In fact, maybe if you two went out into public, these words would be easier to write.

"Fine. I guess we should go shopping."

Zero shrugged. "I don't know, I'd rather just kick back and relax, if that's okay with the narrator man."

Yeah, that's totally fine, though I might have some trouble finding enough interesting things to write about to not drag on for too long.

Gadget pondered for a second, before snapping his fingers. "I've got it! Let's invite some friends over. That way, we get to relax, and maybe something interesting will happen."

Sure, that'd work. Nice thinking!

* * *

After calling almost everyone he knew, Gadget opened the door to find Sonic, Shadow, and Silver ready for a boy's night out; or, as it would be in this case, a boy's night _in_.

Hey, Gadget, Zero, quick note before you talk to them; they can't hear me. It's hard enough modeling you and Zero reacting to me, plus Shadow has a gun and I feel that would end poorly.

_Duly noted,_ Gadget thought, as he greeted his friends. "Hey guys, glad you could make it!"

It took Zero about a nanosecond to see a bottle poking out of Sonic's armful of stuff. He immediately ran over and saw it was a pristine bottle of champagne. "Where did you get champagne? You're _15_."

Sonic set down his stuff and shrugged. "Hey, if we're being technical, Shads here is, like, 65. Those 50 years of being frozen still count!"

"...Okay, but I can't possibly let you guys drink it. Silver's _14_!"

Silver piped up. "Hey, this isn't the first time Shadow's gotten us alcohol. I can actually hold my own, thank you very much."

Zero facepalmed before lifting his head to the sky. _Why did you do this?_

Hey, I figured I needed something interesting to happen. Easiest way to get an interesting situation is to add alcohol.

_Fine._ Zero turned to the hedgehogs. "Alright, one drink. But if you throw up, you have to clean it up yourself."

Silver shook his hand. "Deal."

* * *

Five drinks later (you really start to lose count when you're drunk, plus Zero was busy getting drunk himself, so nobody was policing him), Silver stood up in front of the other boys and launched into what seemed, in his head, like a wonderful pastiche of Seinfeld.

Externally? It was just him uttering the same line, "What's the deal with airline food?" and laughing to himself for 5 minutes.

Luckily for him, the other boys, being just as drunk (if not more), found it equally as funny. So, for the next hour or two, Silver would say the line and they'd laugh for a few minutes. Then, Zero, or Shadow, or Sonic, or Gadget, would say the line in a weird voice, and they'd laugh some more. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Is it the most _interesting_ thing I could do? Actually, given the rules of the prompt contest, probably. I'm not allowed to do any of the _fun_ stuff that can come with getting drunk, since that might take this into NSFW territory. (Honestly, I'm pushing it with the alcohol.) Either way, I have my 1,000 words, so let's give these drunken idiots some time to sober up.

* * *

_The next morning..._

Zero was the first to wake up. After checking to see if anybody else woke up, he turned to the fourth wall. "Ugghh... hey, narrator man. Can you make this headache go away?"

Yeah, why not. _Ahem._ Zero found a cup of water on the coffee table. _He took a sip, and his headache disappeared like he did after the final battle._

Zero took the hint from the italics, and found that indeed, his headache disappeared when he took a sip of the water. "It's water, right?"

I mean, I already did the alcohol bit. They won't let me get away with too much more. I'm not even sure they'll accept this prompt fill as is.

"Fair enough." He shook the others awake, and one by one, as they sipped from the Holy Grail of... cups of water, each one found themselves feeling refreshed and ready to go on with their day.

After Sonic, Shadow, and Silver left, and Zero and Gadget cleaned up the place, they went back to sitting on the couch. Gadget spoke up. "So, what now?"

Well, I've got my 1,000 words, so I suppose I'll leave you two alone for now.

"For now?"

This is just one prompt of 7 that I have to fill.

"Oh, Chaos."


	2. Day 2 - Medieval/Fairy Tale

Strength. Cunning. Power.

These virtues guide the House of Jackal in everything they do. The king, Ace, his queen, Eve, and their son, Prince Finnegan (although he preferred "Prince Zero") ruled over most of the land west of the Everrich Peaks.

"House of Jackal? How original..."

Shut up, Zero. As I was saying, King Ace and Queen Eve had tried for more children, to no avail. In any case, Prince Zero was their heir apparent.

* * *

Knowledge. Grace. **Power.**

These virtues, on the other hand, guide the House of Wolf-

"House of Wolf? How banal can you be-"

 _Shut up, Zero._ The king, Gilbert, his queen, Valerie, and their son, Prince Armando (though he preferred "Gadget") ruled over most of the land east of the Everrich Peaks.

The two kingdoms existed largely at peace with one another, although they had skirmishes in the past. Between them, almost 90% of the world fell under their control at any given moment. Therefore, an alliance would be beneficial for both parties.

This brought up an issue. With no daughters on either side, how could a marriage be arranged? And without a marriage, how could an alliance be arranged?

That was the subject of their meeting today. They had assembled members of both courts, as well as some top Church officials, to see how an alliance could be arranged without a daughter to marry off. Meanwhile, Princes Finnegan and Armando were set off, under the protection of the top knight of each kingdom, to occupy themselves while the boring decisions were made.

* * *

After leaving the castle, the princes and their knights mulled around the castle grounds until the Wolf knight built up the courage to ask something of his prince. "Prince Armando, sire-"

Prince Armando sighed. "For the millionth time, please, call me Gadget."

"My apologies, Prince Gadget."

"That's not what I- oh, nevermind; it's close enough."

"Sire, are we going to wander around the castle grounds for the rest of eternity?"

"You're free to go," Prince Gadget offered.

"Absolutely not, sire; your parents would have my head if I were to abandon my duty."

Sensing Prince Gadget's unease, the Jackal knight spoke up. "No, Prince Gadget as a point. I am more than capable of protecting both princes."

"In that case," Prince Gadget remarked, "your duty is made redundant. You are free to go."

"But sire-"

" _You are free to go._ "

Sensing that his prince would not budge, the Wolf knight relented. "Very well. In that case, I take my leave; farewell. I take it we will meet at the main gate in 2 hours as originally ordered?"

"Yes." As the Wolf knight left, the Jackal Knight turned to the princes. "So, sires, where will we be off to?"

"Sir Reginald," Prince Zero began, "you did well in sending that other knight away."

"Thank you, sire." Sir Reginald turned his gaze towards Prince Gadget. "I could tell our companion was not at ease. Prince Gadget, I believe you said you preferred?"

"Actually, I prefer just 'Gadget', but if you _must_ use the title, 'Prince Gadget' is preferable to Prince _Armando_." Prince Gadget spat his birth name out with such venom, Sir Reginald could tell the Wolf prince would rather be called anything else.

"I am bound by my honor code to 'use the title', as you say, so Prince Gadget you shall remain."

"Very well."

"In _any_ case," Prince Zero cut in, "I am sure you will not be butting in on our conversations, Sir Reginald?"

"My liege, my duty is to _protect_ you, not to _smother_ you." Sir Reginald was clear on this point.

"Very well then, you may follow us." Prince Zero took Prince Gadget by the hand and led him out into the kingdom proper.

Sir Reginald fell not too far behind.

There was a fair in the town square with tests of skill and strength. People from all around the kingdom would come to show their skills and compete. The princes decided to each pick a skill to compete in, and whoever performed better in their chosen skill would win... something. Bragging rights, certainly, but they could determine a better prize at some other time.

Prince Zero chose fighting, and Prince Gadget chose debate. Each entered into his own respective competition, with Sir Reginald keeping a close eye on both princes.

* * *

The fighting competition was first, pitting 2 men at a time against one another in hand to hand combat. The winner of the tournament would be titled "Strongest in the Land" until the next fair.

While Prince Zero got ready for his match, his opponent sized him up. "What's a pipsqueak like you doing in a strength tournament? Isn't there a sewing competition?"

Prince Zero ignored the obvious attempt at intimidation. "Pity I never learned how to sew, then."

"Hey, I won't go easy on you just because you're small-"

The tournament organizer suddenly appeared. "Ragnar? Zero? You're up."

Prince Zero turned to Ragnar. "I wasn't counting on it."

They went into the ring, and after an introduction, they were told to go when they were ready. Ragnar immediately charged Zero, who quickly sidestepped out of the way. Ragnar charged again, and Zero dodged again. The first few minutes of the fight were like that: a charge from Ragnar, and a dodge from Zero, usually at the last possible moment.

Eventually, however, Zero turned to face Ragnar and stood his ground. When Ragnar charged, Zero went under him and flipped him onto his back, proceeding to beat the snot out of him until he surrendered.

The rest of Zero's matches went basically the same way: they'd try to intimidate him, it wouldn't work, he'd let them tire themselves out before wailing on them until they surrendered. In almost no time flat, Zero was crowned Strongest in the Land.

* * *

After the fighting tournament came some other boring tournaments: the aforementioned sewing competition (the winning design was an amazing quilt), a test of ingenuity (one person used a trebuchet to launch a block of stone the distance it needed to travel), and finally, the test of debate skills. The debate competition was more boring; a group of people stood in a semicircle on a stage (including Prince Gadget) and they were asked a question. They'd argue their viewpoints, and then whoever the crowd thought did the best at arguing their position won.

The question up for debate was a topical one: should the House of Jackal and the House of Wolf form an alliance? The debate floor seemed evenly split on the topic; Prince Gadget happened to fall on the side of being for the alliance, naturally. Eventually, as the debate wound down, each side had one person vehemently arguing for them.

The person arguing against the alliance leaned against his podium. "So if the House of Jackal has ruled for hundreds of years independently, and the House of Wolf has ruled for hundreds of years independently, why should there be an alliance? What do we stand to gain from it?"

Prince Gadget hit his podium for added effect. "What do you stand to lose? An alliance would consolidate control over the vast majority of the land and keep criminals at bay throughout. Sure, you might lose some power in your own territory, but you would gain power in Wolf territory. Clearly, there's an advantage to be had."

"But we don't need power in Wolf territory, we're perfectly fine with what we have here in our territory."

Prince Gadget thought for a second, before continuing. "What happens if you get attacked? You'd want help, wouldn't you?"

"Wha- Well, obviously, but the House of Wolf has always traditionally provided aid-"

"But wouldn't it be better if there was a codified alliance? It's basically already a _de facto_ alliance, why not make it _de jure_?"

"I... I-"

A bell was heard from center stage. The debate organizer stood up. "Well, this has been a wonderful and productive 30 minutes," he said to the crowd, "but now you must choose. Who was the most eloquent debater? Who defended their position the best?" Ballots were passed around with names and podium numbers. After the people voted, the organizer counted the ballots. "The winner, by a large margin is... Gadget!"

Cheers were heard all around, as Prince Gadget returned to Prince Zero in the crowd. "Well, it appears we've drawn."

Prince Zero smirked. "It would certainly appear so."

* * *

An hour or so later, the princes, accompanied by Sir Reginald, got back to the main gates. Waiting for them was the Wolf knight who had left them earlier. "So, no incidents?"

"None whatsoever. Did you really have that little faith in me? I told you, I am more than capable of protecting both princes."

The Wolf knight put his hands up in surrender. "Hey, just making sure."

Sir Reginald walked up to his counterpart and smirked. "If we're being honest, Prince Zero could probably protect both himself _and_ Prince Gadget." He stepped back. "In any case, it's your turn to watch them while I check in with King Ace."

"Of course."

Sir Reginald came into the main room of the castle. There seemed to be a lull in the action, so Sir Reginald asked for an audience with the king. As expected, his request was accepted, and King Ace soon appeared. Sir Reginald spoke up first. "Good evening, my lord."

King Ace sighed. "Good evening, Sir Reginald. I trust Prince Finnegan hasn't been giving you trouble."

Sir Reginald shook his head. "No trouble at all, my lord. How goes the meeting?"

This time, King Ace sighed and let the bridge of his nose rest on his hand. "It hasn't been going. The Church won't allow an alliance without a marriage, at least not on the terms any of us want. King Gilbert is trying his best to convince them, but they just won't take it."

Sir Reginald simply hummed an acknowledgement. Normally, King Ace would take offense to that, but he could tell Sir Reginald was thinking; when Sir Reginald was thinking hard about a problem, he usually found a solution. After a long pause, he offered a solution weakly. "Well, my lord, would it be too much of an issue to just marry the princes?"

King Ace did a double take. "Marry the princes? Why?"

"Well, my lord, neither family has a daughter, so a traditional marriage is out of the question. If we marry the princes directly, we can skip the whole thing and we'll have a marriage to boot?"

"But won't the Church be offended?"

"My lord, this alliance will control most of the known world. Would the Church really want to make the most powerful kingdoms of the world angry? I feel as though that might not be the best idea on their part."

"...You make a fair point, although I'm still not sure about marrying the princes. Are you sure this can't be done another way?"

"Not unless you can magically create a daughter of age from nothing, my lord."

After a second, King Ace laughed. "There's the wit I was looking for. I shall propose this to King Gilbert privately; if he agrees, then we shall."

"Very well, my lord."

As Sir Reginald went to exit the room, King Ace called out to him. "Fetch King Gilbert and tell him his presence is requested in the throne room."

"Of course, my lord."

* * *

King Gilbert entered the throne room. "You requested my presence?"

"Yes, King Gilbert. I have an... _unorthodox_ proposal that could solve this whole issue."

"By all means, if you can bring this meeting to a close, I'm all ears."

"Here's the idea..." King Ace explained the plan; instead of a traditional marriage, the two princes would be married, serving the purpose of having a marriage for the alliance.

"Are you mad? The Church will have our heads!"

"Ah, but consider, my friend," King Ace recalled the very argument he had with Sir Reginald. "with our kingdoms combined in an alliance, we'd be in control of a vast majority of the known world. Would the Church really want to make us angry? I've heard that in some parts they've thrown the Church out completely; would they want that to happen here?"

"...A fair point, to be sure. I'm still not entirely convinced of this idea, however..."

"I'm not entirely convinced, either, but if it will draw these meetings to a close, I'm all for it."

"Very well then, we'll do it."

* * *

Okay, I set out to write a thousand words and I've written twice that, so I'm done.

Gadget scooted up on the couch. "But you were just getting to the good part!"

Well, I'm not writing any more of that. If you have any questions, I'd be willing to answer them.

"Of course, my first question is, what became of the princes?"

They got married, obviously, and they lived happily ever after for the rest of their days.

It was Zero's turn to ask a question. "How come I've never heard of the House of Jackal? Or the House of Wolf for that matter?"

Well, first off, I made them up for the story, obviously. Secondly, I guess I should probably BS a reason why, so......

The Houses of Wolf and Jackal were mostly wiped from the record books by their successors in the world-domination thing, the Acorns. The Acorns managed to defeat the princes' descendant-

"They had kids?"

...Sure, why not. Their... great-great-grandson lost a war to the Acorns, and as retribution, the Acorns removed them from history. Only their direct descendants know the story, and I happen to know the story because I'm the narrator and I'm supposed to. Are you happy?

"Sure."

Alright, it's, like, 11 at night for me, so I'm going to post this prompt fill and go to bed. Tomorrow is another prompt, and I think you guys will like that one better.

Zero shrugged. "Whatever you say, it's not like we have a choice in it anyways."

I'm serious though, you should enjoy that one better.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to go with 500 words instead of 1000 because ~~my muse won't cooperate~~ I wanted to try something different

Zero and Gadget were sitting on the couch, as they usually did, just hanging around, cuddling, and being generally affectionate. (They usually were, but especially since the narrator had told them before the prompt fill began that all they needed to do was hug and cuddle for 1000 words. Compared to being annoyed and pestered, or being thrust into Medieval Beryllia, this was a walk in the park for them.)

Zero decided to quote some poetry, since he's ~~a ** _nerd_**~~ decent when it comes to classic poetry.

_How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height  
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight  
For the ends of being and ideal grace.  
I love thee to the level of every day's  
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.  
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.  
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.  
I love thee with the passion put to use  
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.  
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose  
With my lost saints.  
I love thee with the breath,  
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if Chaos choose,  
I shall but love thee better after death._

Gadget smirked. "Feeling poetic?"

Zero felt a small blush come across his face. "Am I not allowed to be romantic?" He launched into the next poem.

_Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?  
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:  
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,  
And summer's lease hath all too short a date;  
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,  
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;  
And every fair from fair sometime declines,  
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;  
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,  
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;  
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,  
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee._

"Shakespeare?" Gadget smiled before sitting back and looking his boyfriend over. "You know, I think you're somehow even cuter when you're reading poems."

Zero's blush intensified, as he thought of another poem to recite. He was out of love sonnets, so he needed to think fast.

 _For you, I would do_  
Any sort of petty crime  
Of that, I am sure.

"An original?" Gadget could barely contain himself. "My boyfriend, the poet."

Zero's face was almost as red as Gadget's fur. "Well, I can't just reuse the poems of the past. I'm lucky I found the 2 I started with."

"You're lucky? _I_ got to listen to my _cute_ boyfriend say them to me." Gadget was intentionally trying to fluster Zero, and it was working; Zero's face was somehow redder than his fur. He couldn't help himself anymore, and he kissed Zero on the forehead.


	4. Day 4 - Injured/Recovery

Gadget was sitting on the couch as normal when he suddenly heard a voice. It sounded muffled, but he could clearly make out "how long has he been in there" in the voices. At first, he paid it no mind; after all, the last time he had heard a voice in his head it had been the narrator. With how annoying the narrator was, Gadget was entirely convinced he didn't want a repeat of that.

And yet the voices continued. This time, Gadget could make out "...only supposed to be 15 minutes in the sim..."; he had no idea what that meant, but he assumed it was some other real world thing, like COVID-19, or Donald Trump.

However, suddenly and abruptly-

* * *

Gadget came to with a gasp. He took a second to gather his surroundings; he was sitting in a chair with some electrodes on his body.

A teal bunny in a labcoat was the first to talk to him. "Are you okay? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Gadget took a second to let his glasses focus. "Uhh... two? Where am I?"

"You're at the GUN recruitment office in Sunset City. You came here for a battle-readiness test?"

Suddenly, the memories came flooding back to him. He had come to the GUN office to see if he could become a soldier. They had hooked him up to the electrodes and given him some medicine. When he took the medicine, he fell asleep and woke up in a new environment, with new friends and enemies. But that would mean-

"Sorry, you weren't supposed to be in the sim that long; it was supposed to end after the war did, but _this_ knucklehead-" she gestured to a purple hedgehog behind her- "left you in for too long. What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

Gadget was lost. "I'm sorry, so the past year and a half of my life have been a lie?"

The bunny seemed almost dismissive. "Well, yes, but it wasn't supposed to be that long, just long enough for the war-"

Gadget put his hands out defensively. "Just... give me a second. I need to figure out what's real and what's not."

She immediately stepped back. "Ah, my apologies; I didn't consider-"

"It's- It's fine. Just- a second, please?"

"Of course." She gestured to the purple hedgehog. "Come on, Shade, let's give him a second."

They both left, leaving Gadget alone with his thoughts.

* * *

After a few minutes, Gadget had finished thinking things over, and now that he knew what was real and what wasn't, he pressed the call button (still being attached to the wires, he couldn't exactly leave the room).

Almost immediately, the teal bunny and the purple hedgehog (Shade, Gadget remembered hearing the teal bunny call him) re-entered the room. The teal bunny was the first to talk. "Are you okay? Is everything alright?"

Gadget pondered for a second before responding. "I think... I think I'm as good as I'll be for a while. Although, if I could get out of these wires, I'd be better."

She immediately came over and started undoing the electrodes. "Again, I'm sorry; I forgot about the wires, I forgot about the initial shock, I just kept forgetting-"

"It's okay, I'm not any worse for it." Soon the wires were undone, and Gadget got out of the chair. "I think we should start by introducing ourselves?"

She facepalmed. "Of course, of course. I'm Dr. Williams, and this is my lab assistant, Shade. He was supposed to be running the simulation, but..."

"I'm Gadget. Nice to meet you both." He held out his hand, and they both shook it. "So, Dr. Williams, I take it you had questions for me?"

She rubbed the back of her head. "I mean, if you're willing to answer them. It's not every day that your bum of a lab assistant leaves someone in the simulator past the original simulation plan. What happened?"

"Well, the villain in the war ended up being nice and, dare I say, cute, after the war ended. We actually ended up dating for a while."

"What did he look like?"

"Oh, he looked like a black jackal with some white fur and heterochromia; he had blue and yellow eyes."

Dr. Williams studied a paper in the folder she was holding. "Oh, so the sim turned the villain into your real-life boyfriend. Interesting..."

Gadget almost did a double-take internally. That was... interesting to say the least. "How would you know that?"

Dr. Williams looked up from the paper in the folder. "Oh, I'm just looking at the transcript from your interview. You mentioned your boyfriend and described him to the interviewer, and it's an exact match."

"Interesting..."

* * *

A few more questions later, Dr. Williams was convinced. "Your memory is back in order, so I'm clearing you to go."

"...So I'm not going to be a soldier?"

Dr. Williams went back to studying the folder. "Well, you did pass the battle sim, but I think you need some time to readjust to the real world before we think about putting you on a battlefield. Being left in the sim for twice as long as you're supposed to can kinda mess with your head a little."

"Fair enough." Gadget started back for his house; he wasn't sure how he knew which way to go, but he did. As he walked, he let his mind wander.

He thought about the time he had spent in the simulator. It all felt real, even if he knew deep inside that it had been a simulation the whole time. Some things about the simulation seemed weird. For instance, how did the simulator turn big bad Infinite into his boyfriend? Would that even be possible, unless the simulator could access his memories?

As he turned down a side street, he continued thinking. The narrator had seemed pretty sure that _he_ had created the world, that _he_ was in control. But if the whole thing had been a simulation, then the person in charge of the simulation would be in control-

Gadget suddenly realized something. Shade had never actually spoken to him after the whole simulation debacle, not even to defend himself when Dr. Williams was belittling him. Something seemed wrong...

...Something seemed _very_ wrong, as Gadget looked up to see a black van in the opposite lane careening towards the sidewalk he was on. He turned and tried to run but the van kept gaining on him until-

* * *

Gadget awoke in a cold sweat, lying on his bed. His heart was racing. After a few deep breaths, he decided to try something. "Hey, narrator, are you there?"

Of course I'm here. What kind of a question is that?

"I just... I had a dream where..."

I know, I know. I write the story, remember?

"But... there was this guy, I think his name was Shade or something, and he was running this simulation..."

If you're trying to ask me if I'm Shade, the answer is no. Shade's just a character I invented for the purpose of that scene.

"But I never got to hear him talk-"

Because he didn't need to talk. Doctor Williams did plenty of talking, and she would've ended up talking over him in any case.

"...Ah. Thanks for clearing that up."

No problem, man. Now get some sleep, you deserve it.

"Of course." Gadget laid back down, and in no time, he was fast asleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a dark cellar, on a chair in the middle of the room, sat a familiar red wolf with electrodes on his body. A dark figure emerged from the shadow; a purple hedgehog could be made out in the pale light of the terminal window. He smiled. "Not even Doctor Williams can save you now, my little plaything. I wonder what stories I'll create for you next..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, admittedly this one may be a stretch, but the idea is that the main body of the fill is about Gadget _recovering_ from being in the simulator. Also, I'm sorry that this fill doesn't contain a lot of Zero; I was originally going to have Gadget make it home to his real Zero, but then one idea gives way to another and you get the ending you got.


	5. Day 5 - Tears/Scars

It was bright and early the next day, and Zero and Gadget were sitting on their couch as usual. Meanwhile, the narrator was pacing the metaphysical floor, trying to figure out what to do.

Gadget picked up on the diegesis. "What's the prompt this time?"

So the prompt for this "day" is "Tears/Scars". Neither of them are really popping out at me as things I want to do, especially given certain... _issues_ that I'd rather not elaborate on, not even to my fictional characters.

"Ah. So what are you going to do?"

I guess some malicious compliance is in order. We're gonna go visit another alternate universe. They want "Scars"? I'll give 'em "Scars". Come along, _children_.

"Uh... we're both 18."

_Shut up._

* * *

One dimensional (universal?) hop later, Zero and Gadget found themselves in a field. Well, _field_ wasn't the right word. It was encompassed on 3 sides by a massive compound. In that sense, it was less of a field and more of a courtyard. Zero and Gadget could tell, by the large amount of debris-- robot parts, building parts, and other miscellaneous junk-- that a battle had recently happened here. They lurked around for a while, not quite sure where to go.

I promise you, they're around here somewhere. Just... maybe walk into the building? Maybe that's where they are.

Zero walked up to the door and suddenly saw what appeared to be his reflection. Zero would move his arm, and the "reflection" would move its arm in the same way. He'd lean one way, and his "reflection" would lean the same way. A perfect reflection.

Finally, Gadget spoke up. "Let me guess, he's you."

Yep, that's Zero from this universe.

 _And let me guess,_ Gadget thought to himself, _this version of Zero can't hear you._

Yep, though for a different reason; this Zero isn't supposed to hear me. If I wanted to, I could have him hear me, but that would mess up this universe.

 _Fair enough._ Gadget turned to Zero-- his Zero-- and grabbed his shoulder. At that exact moment, the other Gadget appeared in the doorway, grabbing his Zero's shoulder. "Zero, that joke stopped being funny years ago. Can we just move on?"

The other Zero spoke up. "Who even are you?"

"Well, he's you," Gadget said, indicating his Zero, "and I'm him." He indicated the other Gadget.

Zero pointed at the other Zero. "But he can't be me; I'm me."

"Well, yes, but he's you, and you're also him, in a way."

"...This is confusing."

"You're telling me." Gadget turned inwards. _Hey, narrator, can you maybe make this a little easier to grasp?_

Honestly, it's getting hard for me to keep you all straight, so how about you tell them to call you "Gizmo", and to call your Zero "Nil".

Gadget- sorry, _Gizmo_ did as told. "It'll just be easier to understand each other."

"My little brother's name is Gizmo."

Gizmo shrugged. "Well, it's a small world after all, because so's mine."

Of course; you're each other after all.

 _Clearly._ Gizmo turned to Zero. "So, we don't quite know where we are. Maybe you could help us figure it out?"

As Zero led Gizmo and Nil to the infirmary (because let's be real, some strangers who look just like you show up, claim to be you, and are completely lost? You'd think they'd be in need of medical attention too), he decided to answer some questions. "So, this is the Resistance base. Sorry about the mess, we just fought a big battle here."

Gizmo and Nil spoke almost in unison. "We could tell."

"... _anyways_ , I take it you two are..."

This time, Nil spoke up on his own. "Boyfriends. Same as you and yours."

"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense, since you're me and all that."

Nil simply gave an affirmative hum in response, as they rounded the last corner into the infirmary. Zero looked around and eventually found his target. "Hey, Silver, these two weirdos think they're Gadget and I."

"We are," Gizmo affirmed, "but from another universe...? I don't know; I literally learned how this works, like, 4 days ago or whatever."

Silver looked them over. "Doesn't look like head trauma..."

"We're not trau-" Nil stopped himself. "I mean, we've suffered, certainly, but not _that_ kind of trauma."

After some more humming and hawing, Silver asked Gadget and Gizmo to stand next to each other. When they did, he noticed that they looked exactly alike. When Zero and Nil stood next to each other, he noticed that they, too, looked exactly alike, with the only slight difference being that Nil had no chest scarring (as Nil's Phantom Ruby had quote-unquote "magically" removed itself from his body, as opposed to the gaping chest wound Zero suffered). Taking a step back, he shook his head before turning to Zero. "They seem to be genuine. I'm not sold on the alternate universe concept, but if they say it's true, who am I to tell them it's wrong?"

"Someone _sensible_ ," Zero affirmed.

Silver shrugged. "Since when have I ever been _sensible_? I aided and abetted a _war criminal_ , mind you."

Zero slightly blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"No problem; you turned out fine, didn't you?" Silver patted him on the back. "Anyways, I'm not sure why they're here. Of all the places someone could end up, why here? Why now?"

It was Gizmo's turn to shrug. "Maybe the author's trying to cross-promote the next chapter of his other work, released the same day as this one?"

Silver looked at him quizzically. "What are you talking about?"

Nil shook his head and smiled. "Pay him no mind; it'll make sense in the cosmic point of view, just not here and now."

"You're telling me."

"Anyways," Nil continued, "I think it's about time Gizmo- er, Gadget-- my Gadget-- and I went back home." He pulled Giz-- _his Gadget_ close and whispered in his ear. "I think the narrator's losing steam; he's not even trying to interject."

I am still very much here, but we're at 1,000 words and it's past midnight on an in-school night. I should get going soon, so if we can wrap it up, that'd be neat. I'm not just going to hand you a universal hop on a curtain-pull though; you need a certain part, which I've sent Gadget-- this universe's Gadget-- to go get.

Sure enough, Gadget-- take a wild freaking guess as to which one-- returned with the part in tow. He and his Zero shared a brief kiss, which, brief as it was (especially compared to their usual fare), still managed to send our Zero into a blushing frenzy. Luckily for him, the narrative quickly whisked him and his Gadget away...

* * *

...back to the safety of their own couch. See, _children_ , was that so bad?

"Again, we're both 18?"

Shut up, Gadget. Besides, Zero's blushing like a 12 year old.

Zero buried his head in his hands. "Did you have to have them kiss before we left?"

Mhm. That's what you could have here with your Gadget, but you're playing. Besides, would you rather I had them make out in front of you? They're pretty prone to that. I could still send you back, we have time-

" ** _NO!_** " Zero's blush intensified and he buried his head even further in his hands. "No make outs, no kisses, no sending me back. Just... don't."

Alright, fine, I'll leave you two alone for the night. Tomorrow should be fun...

"You always _say that_ , but it never really ends up being fun."

No, I promise this time.

"Like I should trust a disembodied voice."

... _Shut up._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Indeed, I am trying to crosspromote my other work. Check out _The Scars of Love and War_ , this account, which, today, [has gotten to Chapter 10](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24486652/chapters/64510666). If you haven't started it yet, you should [start from the beginning](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24486652).
> 
> I took a few days off for personal reasons (honestly, the same reasons why I didn't do a "correct" Tears/Scars fill), but I should still finish by the end of September.


	6. Day 6 - Safe/Healing

It was about midday, and the Resistance members were scrimmaging in a good old-fashioned game of baseball. They split into 2 teams like you would pick teams for pickup basketball (so would that make this pickup _baseball_?), and they got ready to play. On one team, Zero was the pitcher, Gadget was the catcher, the three hedgehogs played the bases, and Amy, Blaze, and Espio played outfield. On the other team, a handful of assorted Resistance members filled the positions.

It started out well, with Zero getting a quick 3 outs in the top of the 1st. Sonic hit an inside-the-park home run (as you'd expect), Shadow bunted into a triple off of a defensive shift and wild throw, and then Silver hit a double to send him home, before Blaze hit a home run to send _him_ home. A few outs later, and it was 4-0 at the end of the first. By the bottom of the ninth, it was a healthy competition, 11-10. (Zero had stepped aside and let Gadget pitch after the team had a 10-3 lead at the end of the fifth. Gadget had given up 8 runs in 4 innings, so Zero took over and got the 3 outs.)

First to bat was Silver, and he struck out, then Blaze was walked. Gadget managed to hit a triple, so Zero was up to bat with Gadget on third and 2 outs with the game tied. He took the first pitch, which ended up being a ball outside, 1-0 count. He could see Gadget rearing to go. He took the next pitch, which was also a ball (this time in the dirt a few feet ahead of home plate), 2-0 count. Gadget almost seemed to be halfway to home plate already, and he hadn't even broke. Zero took the next pitch, a ball inside, 3-0 count, and as soon as the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher, Gadget broke, coming in hot to home plate. The pitcher tried to toss the ball back to the catcher, but Zero swung hard, sending it deep into center field as he bolted for first. The ball ended up being caught, but not until after Gadget crossed home plate. Knuckles (the umpire, by his own choice) signaled safe and started yelling. "Safe! _Safe!_ Run scores! Red team wins!"

* * *

"What was the point of that?" Gadget had a point. "I doubt 'pickup baseball' was the prompt for today."

It wasn't, but I had to improvise.

"...Please elaborate?"

We didn't actually do anything you would need to heal for, and I'm not quite sure how to do "Safe" in this instance either, so I went for baseball. When you crossed home plate, _you were safe._

"But that's-"

Pun-derful!

Zero smirked. "So, I take it we're just stalling for another 518 words and counting down?"

25, actually. I felt like doing this one shorter. Besides, do you really want a full play by play of the game?

Didn't think so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 updates on the same day? In _my_ Infidget Week 2020? It's more likely than you think.
> 
> 512 words for this one. I didn't feel like writing an entire play by play of a baseball game in service of a dumb pun. The Day 7 fill should be longer, though, so be on the lookout for it either later today ( _Three_ updates in one day?) or tomorrow.


	7. Day 7 - Sunset/Stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cw: mild language, suicide mention. If you want to avoid those topics while still reading the prompt fill itself, stop at the horizontal rule. (I had to wrap up a storyline from Day 4 and the ending got real dark real fast)

By now, Gadget and Zero were used to the routine. Gadget spoke up. "So, what's the prompt for today? Are we going to play some other random sport?"

Nope.

"Go visit another alternate universe?"

Nuh-uh.

"Hear another fairy tale of a time long ago?"

Tempting as it may be, no.

"...Am I going to have to have another nightmare?"

No, no, no, that was Day 4. _You should never again have to deal with_ _that_ _._

"...I'm out of ideas."

 _...if that isn't a mood..._ But, no, today's prompt is really simple. You and Zero just need to go look at either a sunset or the stars.

"...Really? That simple?"

Mhm. A simple, _easy_ way to end the "week".

"...Well, it's late afternoon, so I guess we'll go see the sunset, huh, Zero?"

Zero got up. "Seems right to me."

Zero and Gadget went up to their roof and looked at the sunset. It was beautiful; the sun was low in the sky, with a red hue that contrasted against the deep yellow-orange. The clouds seemed to perfectly frame this moment in time; tranquil and almost picture-esque. Gadget didn't want to move; he was here, in this beautiful moment, with his beautiful boyfriend. Life was amazing.

And then he started hearing voices again. They seemed distant at first (a "I think he's down here" and a "I'm gonna kill that bastard" could barely be made out), but got close very quickly. Zero suddenly froze before turning to Gadget and grabbing his shoulders. "Gadget? _Gadget?_ "

* * *

"Gadget?!"

Gadget woke up to Zero-- the real Zero, his real boyfriend-- shaking him awake. Gadget himself was sitting in a chair with some electrodes on his body. All of this felt too familiar, almost like-

"You bastard!" That voice sounded awfully familiar too; was that--

"Shade, I can't believe you kidnapped someone!"

Dr. Williams?

Everything was moving way too quickly for Gadget's comfort; next thing he knew, he was disconnected from the wires and sitting in the corner. He couldn't believe it; Shade had been the narrator all along? Granted, he had thought that before, but the utter conviction with which the narrator denied it pushed the possibility to the back of his head (although, in hindsight, his vehement denial should have been a red flag).

Zero was trying to talk to him. "Gadget! Are you okay? You didn't come home from the recruiting office, I was so worried-"

Gadget simply curled into a ball. All of this was too much; the yelling of Shade and Dr. Williams' argument, the abrupt realization that he had been lied to and kidnapped, all of it just too much to bear.

Zero hugged him close before getting up and confronting Shade. "So I'm the bastard, huh?" He pulled his sword from its sheath, and Dr. Williams backed off, leaving Shade to deal with Zero. "You're the one who kidnapped my boyfriend."

Zero didn't know what he expected Shade to do, but he certainly wasn't expecting the purple hedgehog to step closer to him. "Just do it, stab me, you won't."

"...Come again?"

"Kill me. Do it. You've already destroyed my magnum opus, my life's work. I have no reason to keep going; kill me, and spare me the trouble."

"...What? That's... no, I'm not going to kill you. What the actual-"

"Oh, nobody told you? I was working on a new program for the simulator; one that would let people be actors in stories entirely inside their own head. It could have been wonderful! But no, you just had to break into my lab. Now the program will be destroyed and my work will have all been for naught. All of the time I spent writing this amazing program, wasted. You've already destroyed my life's work; kill me."

"For the last time, I'm not going to kill you." Zero felt a small pinch at the base of his ankle, but he thought nothing of it; must have been a mosquito. "Are you crazy?"

" _Am I?_ " Shade let a wild grin take over his face. "Or are you all just too _dull_?" Zero didn't even have any time to react before Shade grabbed Zero's sword from his hands. "But fine, if you won't kill me, I'll do it _myself_!" Shade proceeded to run himself through with the sword.

A collective gasp could be heard from the 3 Beryllians in the room (even Gadget, who had uncurled just in time to see it happen). For his part, Shade spared them the theatrics and just appeared to be fully dead. After a long pause, Zero spoke up. "Well... at least he can't hurt anyone else?"

Dr. Williams seemed skeptical. "He never seemed to be suicidal before. Not to mention, he never told me about the simulator program he was making, and he usually told me everything. I think this is some kind of trick."

Zero felt for a pulse at Shade's wrist, before coming up shaking his head. "No pulse. Either he's dead or he's really good at faking it."

Dr. Williams came over and tried to find his pulse herself, to no avail. "...Huh. Guess he really is dead. I'll take care of things here; you two can go on with your lives."

Zero took his sword out of Shade's chest and wiped it off on a rag he found. "I guess so; there's not much else we can really do." He helped Gadget to his feet, and they walked out, agreeing to take things day by day, and try to work through the trauma this event caused.

* * *

When the police arrived at the lab on Park and Sunset (Dr. Williams had called them when Zero pulled his sword), they found a purple hedgehog panicking over 3 unconscious bodies: a red wolf, a black jackal, and a teal rabbit. "I don't know, man, I got here and they were just passed out."

The police officer in charge seemed amicable enough. "Well, we could take them to the hospital."

"No, I can take care of them-- I've got plenty of medical equipment in the back, and I'm not sure if moving them would be a good idea."

"Fair enough. So why did you call, then?"

Shade feigned paranoia. "For all I know, the same madman who knocked them out is still around here somewhere."

The police officer put his hand on Shade's shoulder. "We'll sweep the building and see if we can find anyone."

"Thank you, officer."

Little did the police know, the madman who had knocked the Beryllians out _was_ still in the building, even standing right under their noses.

Talk about missing the bigger picture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filled the prompt in 200 words and then went on for another 800 to wrap up a storyline I'm sure nobody cared about. If you want to ask me any questions about this canon, go ahead; you can ask in this comment section, or my askbox is open on [Tumblr](//nkxanp.tumblr.com).


End file.
